Little Moon
by Alice in Wonderless Land
Summary: Lunette "Lulu" Dulaine: Student, Sister, Sceptic. With her older brother at her side, will she survive Sky High? Warren/OC, Layla/OC. Rated M for Freedom.
1. Chapter 1

**This is completely unfinished and rough. I just had a character description in my head, and I needed to put it down on paper. Or type it, as it were.**

**Enjoy,  
****Alice**

**((--))**

I have been told before that I look a bit out of place. My features don't mix together stereotypically, and my parents look very little like me. Despite this, I am rather pleased with what I look like. My hair is a light chocolate colour, and it cascades in thick waves to my waist. My skin, due to the lack of sun I get, is the colour of café au lait, instead of darkly tanned.

My eyes are the only things that look out of place. They are what my brother calls 'Husky Eyes'. They have a light blue – almost white – iris, with a dark blue outer ring. My mother has green eyes, and my father has brown eyes. My brother also has green eyes, like our mother. So I get a lot of 'you were adopted' jokes that come from him.

I am rather tall, standing at 5'8". I am no supermodel. I am not stick thin, by any means. I'm not fat, either. I hate it when people tell me that I'm skinny, because I have body concerns like all 16-year-olds. But I hate it more when they call me fat. Does that make me a terrible person?

Whatever. The point is that I like to call it curvy. But not in a _you're-fat-so-we're-calling-you-curvy-to-make-you-feel-better_ way. I am definitely slim.

And, being a vain teenage girl, all these thoughts were running through my head as I stared in the mirror on the morning of my first day at Sky High.

"As usual," I told myself, "this is as good as it's gonna get." My hair, that morning, was done in a soft plait down my back. I was wearing jeans and a light blue tank top, with a navy blue jacket on top. My feet donned a pair of black combat boots, which my brother tells me are for lesbians. My first argument, when I hear this, is- "And what's wrong with being lesbian?"

My second argument is, "THEY DO _NOT_!" Or maybe it's the other way around. But the first one is definitely more Politically Correct.

I heard my brother calling me from down stairs, so I grabbed my bag and headed into the kitchen.

"Lunette," he chided, "why does it always take you so long to get ready?" People always tell me that the name _Lunette_ is beautiful. It's French, and it means 'Little Moon'. Only Travis calls me that. Most people call me Luna or Lulu. _Lunette_ makes me sound like a prissy bitch.

I looked my brother up and down. His chocolate, shoulder-length hair was dead straight, but un-brushed. He was wearing a black T-Shirt with a green over shirt and his pants were baggy and denim. His feet wore the same old tattered sneakers that he had worn the whole summer, but his skin (the same café au lait colour as mine) was fresh and washed.

"Uh, because I care about my appearance," I told him, "unlike _you_, who slept in that shirt."

He shrugged, "It's comfortable. And I showered, so it's not as if _I'm_ dirty."

I whacked him lightly with my bag as we headed out the door. I love my brother. He's always been my best friend. Where we used to live, we were the only kids for miles. We had to amuse ourselves, until we started school. Then I had friends, and he had friends. We always ended up coming back to each other, though.

Our parents, unless you hadn't already guessed, were French. Both Travis and I can speak French fluently, but we have regular American accents. Travis, although it _sounds_ like a perfectly normal name (unlike _Lunette_. God I hate my mom...) actually means 'Crossroads'. Despite the fact that my name is utterly terrible, at least it bares some relevance. My power is control over water, like my dad, thus a name referring to the moon is pretty cool. Travis controls earth, like my mom, so 'Crossroads' doesn't really mean anything.

Travis had been in a sulky mood all week after hearing that he wouldn't be able to drive his new car to school, so I tried to cheer him up.

"So, you're a Junior now. That's cool," I reminded him.

"Sophomore year was a cake-walk. You're so lucky," he grumbled, as we stopped near the bus stop.

"Vous êtes très ennuyant!" _(You are so annoying!) _I yelled, before calming down, "Soyez juste heureux, si vou plais? Pour moi?" _(Can't you just be happy? For me?)_

Travis hates it when I speak to him in French. He thinks that we draw too much attention to ourselves when we speak it. But no one was around, so he answered with a sigh.

"Fine," he muttered. I hugged him tightly, just as the school bus rounded the corner.

I was slightly shocked to hear the first thing to come out of the driver's mouth.

"Name and power," he stated.

"Um… Lunette Dulaine. Hydrokinetic," I answered hesitantly.

"You?" the driver pointed a chubby finger at my brother.

"Travis Dulaine. Terrakinetic," he shot a smile at the driver, and I swear to god that all of the girls on the bus melted. It was so unfair. Why did Travis get all the good looks and charm? I was stuck with Husky Eyes and a prissy bitch name.

"Je pense que nous devrions parler en français. Pour effrayer le reste des étudiants," _(I think we should speak in French. To scare the rest of the students.)_ Travis whispered in my ear.

"Menteur. Vous voulez seulement le faire pour obtenir les filles tout heureuses au-dessus de votre accent," _(Liar. You only want to do it to get the girls all happy over your accent.) _I let out a chuckle, taking a seat and listening to the girls on the bus sigh audibly with happiness. A real French guy, oh my!

"Ils sont tous si prévisibles,"_(They're all so predictable.)_ he laughed with me, before shrugging, "Est-ce que mais pourquoi autrement je parlerais même français?" _(But why else would I even speak French?)_

The bus landed on Sky High's platform with a screeching rumble, all the tires stopping simultaneously. The air around our seat had gotten thicker, for some reason. I told him that I bet it was because of all the girls sighing. Too much carbon dioxide for one bus to handle.

There was a sign directing new students to the centre courtyard. Most of the 'New Students' were Freshman, so Travis and I felt a little bit out of place.

"Lulu," he whispered, "I'm going to faint."

"No you're not. Frenchman are just like cockroaches- they're more scared of you than you are of them," I joked.

Travis shook his head and pointed to the stairs, "I mean because of _that_."

Standing on the stairs was a pretty redhead with a flower in her hair. She looked to be about my age, and was smiling beatifically at the group of new students before her.

"Hi," she greeted us, "I am Layla Williams, and I'm Sophomore Class President. I've been assigned to show you guys around. There are a few simple rules that you guys have to obey. Firstly- no using powers outside of the gym. This is a "rule"," she warned, with a wink that made me think it wasn't a rule anyone followed, "Secondly…"

I let out a laugh and looked over to Travis to see if he had found it funny, too. He was staring open-mouthed at Layla Williams, and probably hadn't heard a thing.

"… I've made a lot of good friends at Sky High, and you will, too. Just try not to fall of the edge of the school." A soft laugh arose from the group at the joke, as Layla turned to escort us into the buidling.

We separated into year groups, so Travis and I were separated. He was also, as tragic as this sounds, separated from his Love-At-First-Sight. He whimpered to me as he was lead off by a blonde girl in a white sundress.

"This is Power Placement," Layla frowned, "It's pretty much archaic. Don't be disappointed if you're put as a sidekick. Hero Support Classes are so much more fun than Hero Classes. Take my word for it."

Every single Sophomore, even the one's who had already been sorted, had to be re-evaluated by Coach Boomer (who was wearing shorts. Which is disgusting.)

"Hippie Williams," Boomer called up, "you can demonstrate."

Layla sighed and went up. Summoning her powers, she pulled up vines from the floorboards. Boomer matched her sigh with one of his own and ticked the 'Hero' box on his clipboard.

Student after student was called up, with patronising names from the Coach. His finger pointed at me, and he paused, trying to think of a name for me.

"New Girl," was the name he finally settled on. My heart skipped a beat. Was I the only new Sophomore?

"Name and power," I was asked for the second time that morning.

"Lunette Dulaine. Hydrokinetic," I answered robotically.

"Show me," he ordered. I looked at the ground, where Layla's vines still rested, lifeless with a lack of direction from their master. I smiled.

My hands hovered over the vines, and in one swift motion I sucked their moisture out and shot a whip of water at Coach Boomer. He went flying off the stage and landed with a thump on the gym floor.

"Hero," he muttered, getting up. As I walked past him, I felt a rush of guilt sweep over me.

"Sorry," I said, waving my hand over his socked body. The water hovered up out of his clothing, leaving it dry. I tossed the water aside and walked back to my place in the group. Unfazed, Coach Boomer got back on stage and called the next person.


	2. Chapter 2

**Blech. There were so many spelling and grammar mistakes in the last chapter. I might reload it later, if I can be bothered.**

**-Alice**

**((--))**

"So," I heard someone sit down next to me. Turning my head to the left I realised it was Layla Williams, Travis' true love.

"You're a hydro?" she asked. Which was a stupid question, if you ask me. Of course I am. She saw me kick Coach Boomer's butt in Power Placement.

"Yeah," I answered, giving her a quick smile.

"I'm Layla," she introduced herself. Which was also pretty stupid. She's been giving us a tour all day- of course I knew her name.

"Lunette," I replied, before quickly adding, "But most people call me Luna or Lulu."

"Do you ever feel guilty about how you get your water?" she asked suddenly, the cheery tone in her voice vanishing.

"What do you mean?" I asked after a pause. The teacher had already entered the classroom, but Layla paid him no mind.

"You destroyed my vines. Doesn't it make you feel guilty?" she asked again. I felt a thick gob in my throat, like I'd dry swallowed a pill. Well, no I didn't feel guilty. Until now.

"Vines don't have feelings. Would you rather I sucked the moisture out of _you_?" I replied curtly, hoping she couldn't hear the gob in my throat rising up.

She furrowed her brow at me- not as if she were mad, but if she was thinking. Layla didn't reply, she just faced the front with that 'thinking' expression on her face.

"She's totally right, Lay," I heard a gruff voice from behind me respond. I turned around to face some Rock n Roll Wannabe. He had streaked hair and a leather jacket. Totally a 'poseur'.

"Did anyone ask you?" I snapped at him, completely forgetting that he was standing up for me in the first place.

The boy just raised an eyebrow and scoffed loudly, rolling his eyes away from me. Layla snickered quietly, so I politely asked her what she was laughing at.

"What the hell's so funny?" Okay. Maybe not that polite.

"No one talks to Warren like that," she said, "it's… refreshing."

Something inside my head clicked. Warren. Red streak. Fire. War. Peace. War and Peace. Warren Peace.

Oh shit.

"Sorry," I apologised softly, "I just have a short fuse."

Which is totally true. I'm prone to mood swings and I never think before I speak. But the fact that I snapped at Warren Peace (_the_ Warren Peace) was enough to make my skin crawl.

Everyone knows about Warren Peace. Even if they've never seen him, his name sure gets around. He's the son of the infamous villain Barron Battle, and the semi-famous hero Olive Peace. He's practically Super-Hero royalty, especially since it was rumoured that he turned good.

Not that he was ever 'bad'. Whatever.

"Whatever," I heard an apathetic mutter from behind me. Warren was no longer interested in harassing me. Layla seemed to have forgiven me for destroying her vines. Apparently, me snapping at Warren must have taken some guts, because she was practically friendly with me all through Biology.

"What do you have next?" Layla asked me after class. I fumbled with my books to find my schedule, before telling her that I had P.E.

She sighed and said, "We usually play Save the Citizen, but the mulcher is in repair. So we're probably going to do some individual power training."

I nodded, completely oblivious to what Save the Citizen was. Mulcher? Yay. Sounds like fun.

In the dressing room, Layla and I got changed into our P.E. uniforms. They were rather stylish, if I do say so myself. Just a light blue T-shirt and shorts. I like the colour blue, in case you hadn't noticed.

Coach Boomer split us up into categories of powers. Layla and I went into the elemental group. To my dismay, Warren was also in that group.

Duh, I told myself, he's a pyro.

"Hey! Lu!" I heard a voice call. I whipped my head of brown hair around to see Travis jogging towards me. I frowned- why was he here?

"Travis," I said in my 'warning tone', "why are you in my P.E. class?"

"Juniors and Sophomores have P.E. together," he grinned that heart-melting smile at me, his eyes darting from me to Layla very quickly. I sighed and pulled his wrist over to the group of elementals, of which he was now a part.

"Travis," I said, "this is Layla and Warren. Layla and Warren, this is my brother, Travis."

Completely ignoring Mr. Poseur, Travis turned his attention to Layla.

"Hi," he said, his voice sounding like it could drip honey.

Layla blushed lightly and said, "Hey."

Before Travis could make his move another voice rose up from the ruckus.

"Hey, Layla!"

Someone who obviously thought very highly of the American Flag came up to us and, to Travis' dismay, kissed Layla. I'm not even saying that as a joke. They were full on pashing. Right in front of us.

That is, until Warren cleared his throat. I could actually see Travis' heart breaking. That boy falls in love too easily.

"Hi Will," Layla said, her perky voice rejuvenating.

"This is Luna and her brother Travis," she introduced us. I was glad she hadn't said 'Lunette', so I forgave her a little for shattering my brother's hopes and dreams.

"Powers?" Will asked. I almost laughed. That was the third time I had been asked that today, so I answered robotically again.

"Hydrokinetic."

Travis followed in suit, saying, "Terrakinetic."

Boomer's voice suddenly rumbled throughout the hall, telling us to listen up or else.

"Will the following people come with me," he boomed, "Lunette Dulaine and Christina Dorrington…"

I sighed and turned to trudge towards coach boomer, where that a familiar blonde girl was standing. Suddenly I remembered- she was the blonde in the white sundress, sans sundress. I gave her a quick smile, before turning to Boomer.

"Because you girls have water-based powers, you will need to change into swimsuits and go into the pool area for the next three periods."

"But my power is ice. I'll freeze to death," Christina complained.

"Yeah," I agreed, "and I don't really _need water_ to use my power."

Boomer ignored us and shooed us off towards the changing rooms again. Christina seemed to also have a thing for the colour blue. I saw her open her locker and all I could see was white and blue clothing.

We both slipped on our swimsuits and headed off to the pool together, towels in hand.

"I'm Christy, by the way," she said, her icy blue eyes shining.

"Lunette- but most people call me Luna or Lulu," I said, getting used to introductions.

"How to you use your power?" she asked, as we reached the edge of the pool.

"What do you mean?" I replied, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion.

"Like, I don't know. It's like, in order to freeze something, my hand has to move a certain way," she shrugged.

"Oh," I replied, "I do Tai Chi." She paused, half in the water, giving me an amused expression.

"Seriously?" she asked.

"Well, it's not necessary. But it helps," I told her.

We submerged ourselves in the heated water, but only up to our hips, and she beckoned me to demonstrate some Tai Chi water movements.

Obliging, I lifted my hands above the water. They rose softly, and some water lifted from the pool's surface. Slowly moving my hands around my head, the snake of water circled my body.

We decided to try a few new things, so I would whip some water at her, and she would freeze it before it collided with her pretty blonde head. Soon, the pool was filled with half-melting ice sticks. Shivering, I lifted one up.

Ice was still water, right? Could I control it, too? Placing the ice back in the warm water, I slowly moved my hands over it, beckoning it up.

A heard a short gasp as the ice block came out of the water and floated in midair.

"That is _so_ unfair!" Christy squealed. Shocked at her outburst, my hands clenched. For some reason, this caused the ice block to melt rapidly, first turning into water and then steam.

"What?" I shrieked back.

"You can control ice _and_ water?" she frowned, insulted that I was able to do something other than water tricks.

"I suppose so," I said, trying to clench my fist again. This caused steam to rise up from the water. I grinned.

"Oh, _and_ steam. You big show-off. First Warren and now _this_?!" she looked near tears. But I had to ask.

"What do you mean 'First Warren'?" I dropped my hands by my sides, giving her a questioning look.

"The way you talk to him… no one talks to him like that. Even _I_ didn't, and I was his girlfriend," she actually started to sob. I didn't know what to do. I had never handled someone so emotional before.

"Why does it matter? I've barely known him for a day, Christy," I reminded her, trying to stop her tears.

She sniffed and asked me if I wanted to leave the pool now. Looking around at all the half-melted ice sticks, I agreed.

Getting up and drying off, Christina Dorrington game me a teary, puffy-eyed smile.

Man, what a freak. Even I don't cry over stuff like that.

--

Changing back into our usual clothes, the girls' change room was flooded with 16-year-old girls. Which sucks, because all they can talk about is how fat they are, or how hot a guy is, or what days of the months they get their periods.

I think that stuff. I don't say it out loud.

"Can you believe it?" Travis asked me as we headed into the cafeteria for lunch.

"What? That this is actually called 'Meat Loaf'?" I joked, taking a cautious look at the lunch that looked as if it might eat _me_.

"She has a boyfriend," he groaned.

"Ah, Layla's boyfriend... His name is Will Stronghold- son of The Commander and Jetstream. His powers are flight and super strength. His weaknesses are Mr Medulla's science class and pretty brunettes," I recited.

Travis stopped, and looked at me, an eyebrow raised.

"You know that, how?" he asked.

"Christina told me, after I stopped her from bawling. Seriously, who gets _that_ worked up over powers?" I shrugged.

"I didn't know you could control ice. That's pretty cool," Travis argued, selecting a fruit cup.

"I wonder if I can freeze things," I wondered out loud, "I mean, I can melt things. But freezing is meant to be harder."

"How can you tell?" Travis asked.

"Christy told me," I shrugged a second time, realising that I had started to believe everything some random blonde had told me.

Turning at the start of the line, I paid for my lunch and kept an eye out for an empty table. I saw Layla, and we locked eyes. She beckoned me over, and I tugged on Travis' shirt, telling him to follow me.

If he wasn't going to make a move on her, I'd do it for him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, two chapters on one night. I'm amazing. ;)**

**Alice**

_**sac de merde**_**- shit bag**

**((--))**

"Hey Layla," I said loudly as I took a seat. Travis was trudging reluctantly behind me, before shooting a glance at Layla. As my Husky Eyes flicked from Travis to Layla subtly, I noticed Layla blushing. Hmm. Interesting.

"The food here is ridiculous," I said, breaking the silence. Travis took a seat next to me.

"You get used to it," Layla said absentmindedly, poking at her salad. I was wondering why I hadn't chosen the salad, too, when Will 'I'm-gonna-shove-my-tongue-down-your-throat' Stronghold sat next to Layla.

"Uh, hi," he said awkwardly, "Lanna, right?"

"Luna. But nice try," I snapped. There was a pause while Layla tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear, waiting for the awkward moment to pass.

"Where's Magenta, Zach and Ethan?" Will turned to Layla.

"A lot happened over the summer while you were away," was all Layla said, before flicking a glance over to a table nearby, where three solitary people were sitting.

"Why?" Will said, being completely insensitive, "what happened?"

Travis mimicked Layla, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.

There was another silence, filled by the crunching of lettuce leaves.

"Did you ever think about cutting your hair?" Will had the audacity to ask my brother. Travis' misty green eyes shot daggers at him, as he snarled back a single word.

"No."

Will, who wasn't having his best luck with first impressions, continued, "Why not?"

"Because I like my hair long," Travis replied curtly.

"Doesn't it get in the way?" Will continued.

"Not as much as _some_ things," Travis said pointedly, before asking, "Why do you wear your hair short?"

Will paused, "Because I like it this way."

"So we're agreed. Hair is hair. I like mine long, you like yours short. It is one of the many things we differ on, I bet," Travis said.

I almost winced. I could understand Travis being beat up over Layla having a beau, but there was no way that Will would understand the subtlety of that insult.

Will stared blankly at my brother.

Yeah. He didn't get it.

Layla, on the other hand, seemed to get the gist of it. She blushed ten shades of red, and decided to speak up.

"So, Luna," she addressed me, "I hear you know Tai Chi."

Before I could answer, Will interrupted, "Isn't that, like, the wuss martial art?"

"I suggest that you stop now, before you dig yourself into a hole that even someone with the power of flight cannon get out of," I told him darkly.

Will gulped audibly, and the entire room seemed to quieten a little.

"And for your information, _sac de merde, _Tai Chi is one of the most deadly forms of martial arts," I shot my best Husky Glare at him, "in the right hands."

Once again, there was a pause. I could hear my brother stifling a chuckle beside me. Will looked at his wrist.

"Well, look at the time. I gotta go," he stole a kiss from Layla and left the table in a flash.

Layla shot Travis and I an apologetic look, before Travis finally snorted out a laugh.

"What?" I asked.

"He wasn't even wearing a watch."

--

"I'm so, so sorry for the way Will acted. He's just so dense sometimes," I could hear Layla apologising to Travis. Again.

We were walking down the halls to the front gate at the end of the day. As we passed the row of blue lockers, I sighed. First day over. Finally.

"It's not a problem. I just have one question," Travis replied.

"Yeah?"

"You're smart. I can tell. Why are you with a oblivious dumbass like Stronghold?" my beath caught in my throat. Travis was going for it. Layla turned to face him, her brown eyes searching his face for a second.

"It's complicated."

Travis raised an eyebrow and continued walking, leaving Layla at a standstill in the halls.

"C'mon Lunette," he called me.

"See you later, Layla," I smiled at her, following Travis down the halls. Layla was standing back where she had first stopped.

"C'était un peu peu sensible," _(That was a little insensitive.)_ I told him as we boarded the bus.

"Il ne la mérite pas," _(He doesn't deserve her.)_ he glowered. We were silent for the rest of the trip home.

--

Awaking a few days later, I sighed. Routines are so annoying. Wake up, go to school, come home, do homework. I flipped my heels over the side of the bed and went to the bathroom. I went downstairs in my robe and slippers and ate breakfast. Travis was already down there, eating a giant bowl of cereal. I grabbed some yogurt and sat down next to him.

"You wanna talk about it?" I asked.

"Sort of," he admitted, taking in a mouthful of Lucky Charms.

"So talk," I commanded.

"I don't even know her," he pointed out. I didn't know whether he was telling me, or telling himself. After almost a full week of observing Travis and Layla together, I could only come up with one explination.

"I think she likes you," I told him, trying to boost his confidence. His green eyes brightened just a little, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Totally," I told him, scooping up a spoonful of strawberry yogurt, "she blushes whenever you talk to her."

"You and I both know that that doesn't mean anything. They all blush," he muttered.

Wow. Who knew that Travis would regret being attractive and charismatic?

"All I know is, Stronghold is a douche. He has a lot of nerve, you know," I scoffed, "I'll teach him to insult your hair."

That got me a half-hearted laugh from Travis.

"After school, today, we'll have some power practise. I wanna see if I can freeze things, and I haven't seen you throw rocks all week," I told him. He gave me a light smile, and I went back upstairs to change.

--

"Hey," I heard a deep voice address me.

"What?" I snapped to Warren. Jesus, would this guy never leave me alone? It was as if everywhere I turned, he was there!

"I heard you talked to Christina, a few days ago," he said.

"Well, I didn't really talk," I admitted, "I just listened to her blubber a lot. Did you know that you ex was so emotional?"

He winced at the word 'ex', and I almost felt a little bit bad.

"Did she say anything about me?" Warren asked me.

"She said that she regretted not having the balls to tell you off," I paraphrased, rolling my eyes.

"That's it?" he asked, a little disappointed. For a moment, I almost saw a human being beyond all that hair dye and leather. Oh, wait. No. It's just Warren Peace.

"Yep. That's it," I told him, turning my chair a little bit away from him.

There was a tapping sound coming from the board, so my head shot up. My English teacher was standing over us, being quite tall, and asked, "Does anyone know what this quote is from?"

I read the board, "To be or not to be; that is the question."

Easy.

"Hamlet," I answered.

"Correct," he said, sounding a tad impressed, "do you know some more of that passage?"

"Hamlet's soliloquy. You know, his famous one:

To be, or not to be: that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;

To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause: there's the respect

That makes calamity of so long life;

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,

The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,

The insolence of office and the spurns

That patient merit of the unworthy takes,

When he himself might his quietus make

With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,

To grunt and sweat under a weary life,

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscover'd country from whose bourn

No traveller returns, puzzles the will

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?

Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;

And thus the native hue of resolution

Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,

And enterprises of great pith and moment

With this regard their currents turn awry,

And lose the name of action. - Soft you now!

The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons

Be all my sins remember'd."

There was a complete and utter silence in the classroom. I heard Warren Peace give out a little scoff of amusement.

"I happen to like Shakespeare, okay?" I mumbled, putting my head on the desk, trying to hide my embarrassment.

Why, of why did I have to recite the whole passage?! I'm sure he would've been satisfied with a few lines!

Stupid Lunette. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

--

"I heard you totally nerded out in Lit class," Travis mocked me as soon as I saw him.

"Who told you?" I groaned.

"Layla," he smiled massively.

"Layla? You mean Layla _Williams_?" I let out an impressed whistle, which earned me a punch in the arm from Travis.

"Speaking of love lives; I saw you talking to Warren Peace," he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, fuck off. He's just a leather-clad pain in the ass, nothing more," I shuddered.

Little did I know, that was about to completely change.


	4. Chapter 4

**Alice, here. I just wanted you guys to know how terribly sorry I am for paying **_**Little Moon**_** more attention than **_**I Can't Tell**_**. But I'm always very active when it comes to new things. Old things seem worn out to me, until I get some inspiration.**

**-Alice**

**((--))**

"What's this?" I asked, as an envelope was slapped down on my lunch tray, barely missing my potatoes. I lifted my head up to see Layla standing over me and Travis, placing an envelope on his tray, too.

"Will's having a party tonight, and you guys should be invited," she smiled a row of shiny white teeth at me, and I almost flinched from the brightness of it.

"Why are we invited? You guys barely know us," Travis pointed out coldly. I realised that I was probably wrong about Layla and Travis turning a corner.

"You guys are cool," she said, "and Will feels bad about how things went when you guys first met."

Travis and I exchanged a glance, before my brother said, "Is that true, or so _you_ feel bad that we didn't take kindly to your boyfriend?"

There was a hesitation in the way Layla stood. She was unsure of whether to respond or not. She chose not to, and gave us a quite smile before heading off.

I opened the envelope, and inside was a piece of white paper with writing on it.

_Will's House Party_

_8:00 until whenever_

_Friday night_

Travis read his as well, and raised an eyebrow at me.

"Are you going?" he asked me sourly.

"I suppose I should. Layla's been nice to me. I don't want to lose my only new friend," I looked up to see Layla at the table she had pointed out to me on the first day. Sitting at it were three people- a girl in purple, a small kid with glasses and a tall guy with white blonde hair. They all greeted her coldly and ignored the envelopes she put on their trays.

I could see Layla give up and start talking to them seriously. Oh, how I longed to read lips. Her eyebrows made her face look apologetic, and I swear that I heard the name 'Will' come up once or twice.

The girl in purple sighed heavily and stood up, looking at Layla. Her mouth moved quickly, and then no one said anything. Suddenly, Layla embraced the purple girl and smiled.

I could clearly see Layla's lips make the form of 'Thank You', before she went to go sit next to Warren and Will.

"I hope there's alcohol at this thing," Travis said darkly, "or I will not be able to put up with _Will Stronghold_."

--

Travis and I got home straight after school, and went out into the park across the street, which looked like it had seen better days. There were hills everywhere, and the plants looked half dead.

That was because this was where we came for practise. The entire park had been abandoned ages ago, because there was a swamp that children ran into. A few kids died, so they claimed that the park, while lovely to look at, was dangerous.

Well, it ain't so pretty no more.

First, Travis made a sharp motion with his hands, which simultaneously flattened three hills. We faced each other, and he shot me a smirk.

He raised a single rock out of the ground, and it levitated in front of him.

"Freeze it," he commanded at me. I gulped, but nodded.

If clenching my fist heated up water, then opening it might freeze it. I swiftly sucked the moisture out of the grass at my feet, and Travis shot the stone at me.

I engulfed the flying stone with a layer of hovering water, and opened my fist.

Nothing.

The rock was still flying towards me, and was about to hit my head. I let out a little yelp and dove to the side.

The rock made a crunching sound as it landed where I had been standing, the water losing it's traction without my control.

Okay. Unclenching fist nothing.

"It didn't work," I told Travis.

"Yeah, I noticed," he said sarcastically.

"I don't think I'm gonna try again," I said, getting up shakily.

"Okay, I won't force you. We'll just do regular practice," said Travis, noticing how shaken I was.

Why didn't it work? was all I could think. The rest of the afternoon went smoothly. I perfected my water blade- which is when water is so thin and fast, it can cut through stone.

Travis worked on feeling vibrations. He closed his eyes and asked me to move around. Wherever I moved, he tried to shoot a rock at me. Sometimes he was successful, but most of the time he couldn't quite put his finger on it. After practice, we headed inside and got ready for the party.

After a shower, I put on a blue dress, and a pair of ankle boots, my legs covered by black stockings. I let my hair down and added some more liner to my eyes. I didn't want to make it look like I was making an effort.

All Travis was shower and change his shirt. He didn't need to pretend he wasn't making an effort. He just didn't.

We ended up at Will's address at around 8:30, and heard music booming loudly from the inside. We rang the doorbell cautiously and looked around the neighbourhood. Wow. Will must be loaded.

Layla opened the door, her brown eyes shining as soon as she caught a glimpse of us.

"Awesome," she beamed, "I wasn't sure you guys would come." Leading us inside, we saw the extent of Will Stronghold's popularity. Nameless people we'd seen around school were spread in the house, chatting with red cups in their hands.

Layla directed us to Purple Girl, Kid With Glasses and White Blonde Guy.

"Travis and Luna, this is Magenta, Ethan and Zach," she said. I gave a half hearted smile at the threesome, who mirrored my action.

By nine thirty, the party had gone into full swing. Drinks were being passed around and Travis had had a few.

I was still nursing my first beer, knowing that I'd probably be the one to drive home that night.

"Hi Lulu," I heard a chipper voice say. Christina was behind me, her icy blue eyes glazed over with inebriation.

"Hi Christy," I said soberly, giving her a soft smile. We talked for a while before _he_ came up. She wasn't even subtle about it, she just changed the subject.

"So, I talked to Warren," she slurred. I froze. I need to think before I speak, because things I say always come back to bite me in the ass.

"Yeah?" I choked out.

"He says he doesn't like me anymore," she scoffed, "good riddance, though. He was such a heavy burden to bear. All that angst and emotional turmoil is so hard to deal with."

I didn't mention that she had broken down into tears after finding out the extent of my power.

"But he's here, you know," she whispered, "tonight."

"That makes sense," I told her, "Will's his best friend, or something."

Which fits perfectly. They can be stupid together.

"Yeah," Christina sighed, taking a sip of her beer.

It was barely a minute after Christina left me alone that Warren came up to me.

"I saw you talking to Christina," he said, his tone hard.

"Are you spying on me, or something?" I questioned.

"Yes," he admitted, not sounding even a little bit sorry, "What did she say?"

"She said, and I quote, 'Good riddance, he was a heavy burden to bear- blah blah blah – angst – blah blah blah- turmoil'," I said, careful not to stretch the truth too much.

"Is that it?" he asked, again. I nodded.

"Is there anything else you would like to know, or are you actually going to talk to her yourself?"

"I talk to her all the time," he said.

"Then why ask me if you know what she's thinking?" I asked.

"Because I'm more concerned about what she says to you, than what she says to me."

My mind drew a complete blank. What?

Before I knew how to respond, Warren was gone and Travis was walking up to me.

"We need to leave. Now," he said. I looked at my watch. It read 12:00. Sighing, I nodded to my drunk brother and headed towards the door. The techno music became a close, pulsating throb as we neared the speakers. Travis led the way, inching through the crowd of students. I felt people dancing all around me, some grabbing my arm or shoulder to push me past them.

As we made our way through the crowd, I felt another hand on my arm. As I went to brush it off, it tightened its grip and pulled me.

In a flash, I felt my mouth on someone else's. They tasted like tequila and spearmint and their lips were a little dry and chapped. As soon as our lips disconnected I opened my eyes (I didn't even know I had closed them) and saw nothing but the gyrating crowd. My arm no longer had a hand holding it, and Travis was calling me from the door.

--

"I fucked up. I fucked up big time," was all Travis could say as he went into the passenger seat.

"What did you do?" I asked breathlessly, still trying to wrap my head around the kiss someone had given me.

"I kissed her," he blurted out. Great. Now I have _two_ kisses to worry about.

"Why?" I asked.

"We were just _there_ and she was drinking and I was drinking and she told me some stuff so I kissed her," he managed to say in one breath.

"What kind of stuff did she say?" I asked, starting up the engine.

"Are you even _listening_ to me, or just regurgitating what I'm saying?" he asked.

"I'm listening, Travis. What did Layla say?" I asked again.

"She starts going on about how she was going to break up with Will, because he separated them from their other friends and he wasn't there all summer and she just didn't have the heart to do it. The time when he kissed her in front of us was the first time she'd seen him since the beginning of summer, and she just couldn't break him like that," he recited, scoffing at the end, "Bullshit."

For the first time, I turned to look at Travis closely. The side of his face was a little bit swollen.

"Lemme guess," I said after a pause, "Will saw you."

"Yeah, and he taught me a lesson. On my face," Travis exclaimed.

"What did Layla do?" I asked, turning a corner into our street.

"She tried to stop him. And then she said something like 'It isn't what it looks like'. And that was the moment I realised she was full of shit," Travis scoffed a second time.

"If it helps, I was totally pashed by a random stranger as we were leaving," I offered, trying to lighten the mood.

"What'd he look like? I'll teach him to kiss my baby sister," he slurred drunkenly.

"I dunno," I pulled into our driveway, "I didn't see him."

For some strange reason, I was hoping it was one person. And that hope freaked me out.

((--))

**Chapter 4.5 **_**Confrontation**_

On Monday morning, we all filed into school. Travis had decided to avoid Will and Layla all together, and so I did too.

The one person I couldn't avoid was the one person who kept on finding me.

"Hey," he sat down next to me and I almost puked from complete and utter shock.

"Hello Warren," I squeaked out. No. Not now. Please not now.

"Did you have fun on Friday?" he asked. A small smirk flashed in his tone, so I decided to play with his mind. I'd do it like Hamlet did. _The play's the thing, wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King_. Except, I wouldn't be tricking a King with a play. I'd be tricking Warren Peace with guilt.

"It's was fun, until just before we left. Some rude drunk stuck his tongue down my throat," I over exaggerated a shudder, and turned to gage his reaction.

Nothing.

Crap. This was just like with the freezing. I try my only route and I get nowhere.

"By the way," he said, "Christy told me about your little freezing problem."

Can he read my mind?! That is so ridiculous.

"I'll tell you the secret," offered Warren, leaning in to tell me.

After trying all weekend to freeze water unsuccessfully, I was willing to take advice from anyone.

"What is it?"

He blew hot breath onto my ear, "Blow." The warm air sent a hot flush to my face.

I blanked for just a second before hearing a slamming noise. Warren had placed a bottle of water on the desk in front of me.

"Try it. You might be pleasantly surprised," he smirked, before returning to his seat. I waited what felt like forever, before sighing heavily.

Looking around to see if any students were watching, I waved my hands toward the water gracefully, and let cool air run through my lips.

The air fogged up in front of my eyes, like when it's really cold outside, and then I stared down at the bottle.

No. Fucking. Way.

It was frozen solid. Even the moisture on the outside of the bottle had turned into a fine layer of frost.

"Lunette Dulaine," I heard a stern voice say. I looked up to see Medulla hovering over me, "You know the rules. No powers outside of the gym. Detention."

Oh, great.


	5. Chapter 5

**I went away, which is why I didn't update for a while. Sorry about that. But here's the next chapter. I was too busy grieving over the end of Avatar, and the loss of Zutara.**

**-Alice**

**((--))**

_**Big black boots,**_

_**Long brown hair,**_

_**She's so sweet with her**_

_**Get Back stare.**_

_**- Jet**_

I sighed heavily as I walked up to Travis in the lunch line. Grabbing a tray, I looked at him. He was a little bit broken, I could tell. His straight brown hair was dishevelled and his café au lait skin had a greyish tinge in it.

Poor Travis.

"Hey," I said softly, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"Hi," he responded meekly, looking down on me and giving me a smile. It wasn't one of his usual heart-melting ones, but I was glad I had gotten him to smile at all.

"I got detention," I said suddenly, placing a bread roll on my tray. He scoffed and raised an eyebrow at me.

"For what? Knowing more about _Hamlet_ than your teacher?"

"For powering up in class. I froze a bottle of water," I told him proudly, getting a juicebox.

"Wow. How'd you figure it out?" he asked.

"I… uh…" I paused, my body revisiting its hot flush at the memory of Warren's breath, "got some help."

I was waiting tensely for Travis to ask who I got the help from, but he didn't. We went to our table and began to eat.

It was weird. It was only my second week at Sky High, but I already felt the monotonous routine making my head ache. Suddenly, someone sat beside me. I turned quickly to yell at Warren for spying on me, but I found that it wasn't Warren. It was Purple Girl.

"Uh… hi?" I said, trying to get her attention.

"I'm Magenta. We met at Stronghold's party," she reminded me. Of course. I didn't forget we had met, I just forgot her name.

"Right. I'm Luna," I reintroduced us, "and this is my brother Travis."

"I just wanted to tell Travis something," Magenta said firmly. I wasn't about to get up and leave my brother with some perkigoth. I made it very clear that I wasn't going anywhere, so Magenta sighed and looked into my brother's bright green eyes.

"I don't know what you did to Layla, but I know it's your fault she's acting this way," Magenta snapped, "if… _when_ I find out that it _was_ you, and I find out exactly what you did and I will put a stop to it. Permanently. Layla is one of my best friends, and anything that's making her feel like shit isn't worth having around."

And with that, she got up and left the table. Travis and I exchanged a glance.

"She's been thinking about you," I offered. Travis just looked down at his plate and sighed.

"Whatever."

--

"Oh, I'm sorry," Medulla said as I caught him off guard.

"Uh, hi Mr. Medulla. I'm here for detention," I said.

"Oh, yes. Miss Dulaine. Come with me," he led me to the front of his office where he pointed out the door.

"The white door with the big _D_ on it is the detention room. Go there. I will be by to check on you shortly."

Wow. For someone who gave me detention for freezing a bottle of water, he was pretty nice. I made my way to the room and opened the door.

"Oh, come on," I groaned. Because there, like always, was Warren. He lifted up his head.

"Well, hello there," he said in monotone. I let out a frustrated sigh and sat on the desk beside them.

"This is all your fault," I said after a few moments silence.

"Why? For telling you how to improve your powers?" he scoffed.

"How did you know that, anyway?" I asked tentatively.

"When you're going out with an Ice Queen for as long as I was, you learn a few freezing secrets. I figured it would work for you," he said.

There was more silence, and I was feeling a little more than uncomfortable. So, I decided to look around the room.

Matching the door, the entire room was eerily white. It hurt my eyes a little bit to stare directly at the glowing ceiling. As per every classroom in the school, a bulletin board was attached firmly to the wall, with paper on it. Only this one had a sheet of hard plastic over it. I guess they thought we might rip the paper down or use the pins to stab each other.

I snickered a little bit at the thought, which caused Warren to snap at me.

"What's so funny?"

I tried to focus my eyes on the words on the bulletin board.

"Are you going to the dance on the boat?" I blurted out, seeing the notice on the board. This dance had been organised by the Formal Committee. They felt that the 'Formals' had become too 'Formal'- and wanted to lighten things up by making this years homecoming on a boat with 'semi-formal wear'.

Seriously. How lame.

"I don't do dances," was Warren's reply.

"Oh, but you do," I chided. I smirked lightly and said, "You saved one from disaster two years ago- so I suppose you attended it."

"That was once. And it was to help Layla," he growled. I felt an odd click in my chest, as a thought occurred to me.

"Do you like Layla?" I asked.

"Sure, I like her. She's my best friend," he said calmly, "But, no- I don't _like_ her."

"Best friend? I thought Will was your best friend," I said.

"Correction. I am _his_ best friend," he scoffed a laugh, "It's funny how things work out that way."

Before I could reply, Medulla opened the door, which emitted a dramatic _whooshing_ sound, and glared at us.

"Is everyone cooperating?" he asked, looking intently at Warren.

"Perfectly," he said back, his voice coated with sicking sugar. I repressed a small laugh, which Warren noticed. Medulla didn't seem to care.

"Is the conversation stimulating?" Medulla asked snidely. I suddenly lost my vision of his well-meaning personality. He was just a little bit conniving.

"Very," I replied.

"Really?" he seemed genuinely surprised, and began walking slowly in front of our two identical desks, "What is it about?"

"The Homecoming Dance," Warren offered.

"Ah, yes. The Formal Committee's Semi-Formal Formal," Medulla scoffed loudly, and scratched his huge head, "What about it?"

I was totally about to tell him that all these 'What' questions weren't helping, when Warren interrupted.

"I just asked Luna to go with me," he said.

Uh, I'm sorry. _What?!_

I completely blanked, and with my jaw slightly agape, I turned to him. He was giving me a wide, self-righteous smile, which some might mistake for being genuine. I knew better. I couldn't say no, now. Medulla had bared witness to the question.

Medulla gave us a look that said he was entirely uninterested, and with that he left, muttering about how he is too important for detention duty.

"What were you thinking?" I asked him with a fierce whisper.

For the first time ever, I heard Warren Peace laugh fully.

"I was thinking that I could make your night a living hell," he continued laughing.

Before he could say another word I was in front of him, slamming my palms onto the desk. He shut up instantly.

"I don't know what your little 'Torture Luna' game is- but I've never backed off from a challenge before. You, me, next Friday. It's _on_," I leant in closer, "And I plan to make it an evening that you will have nightmares about for your remaining days."

Tilting his head slightly to the side, he narrowed his grey eyes.

"Well, just so we're clear," he said.

We sat through the next hour in silence. I didn't know about Warren- but I was plotting for Homecoming.

--

_**Just so we're clear- Lunette is a shameless copy of Katara from AtLA (Not the entire character- but physically and power-wise). **_

_**Travis is based slightly of Haru from AtLA. Not as much as Lunette.**_

_**-Alice**_


	6. Chapter 6

**_This world to me is like a lasting storm,_**

**_Whirring me from my friends._**

**_-William Shakespeare_**

Friday crept up on me quickly. Quicker than I had hoped. I had fumbled around my room, with Travis laughing in the background, looking for a dress for that night.

"I can't believe you left this to the last minute," he laughed, "I mean, most girls make a big deal over getting makeup and dresses and shoes and stuff."

He followed me throughout the house until I reached our parent's room. Well, it just belonged to Dad now. But all of her clothes were still in the closet.

As soon as I reached the wardrobe, Travis stopped me.

"What are you doing?" was all he said. I turned to him, and gave him a pointed look.

"I'm going to look through Mom's clothes," I told him, "maybe she has a dress I can wear."

Instead of objecting like I thought he would, Travis said, "She won't have anything for you. The dance is Semi-Formal."

Ignoring him, I opened the sliding closet door. Flicking through all the untouched articles of clothing for something suitable, I paused. It was red, which wasn't really my colour. But I remembered her wearing it all the time. Just a red sundress, with off-the-shoulder sleeves. It was her favourite.

"I want this one," I said meekly, taking it.

"Are you sure it'll fit you? Mom was a size bigger on top than you are," Travis replied. We both paused in silence. All this time we had been talking about her as if she was still here- until Travis used past tense. It made it seem more real.

"It'll be fine," I told him, pushing past him to get to my room.

--

I felt kind of stupid, packing a bag to go to a party. But, if all went as planned, I might need a change of clothes. I packed a pair of black leggings and a red skirt (to match the dress), a sweater and a red shirt. I know that colour coordinating is a little bit Obsessive Compulsive… but I felt like it.

As I stared at myself in the mirror, I felt a little bit proud. The dress fit like a dream, and the gold sandals were a nice touch. I had a gold band on my arm, and a red choker necklace.

Wow. Now I felt a little disappointed that I didn't have a real date. As I stepped out of my room, wandering to the living room, I saw Travis. He had changed into a dress shirt and jeans, from his sweats. His hair was tied back, and he was giving me a sheepish look.

"Why are you dressed like that?" I asked.

"I'm not going to let you got o a party all by yourself," he offered, walking up to me and grabbing my bag to carry for me.

"I won't be by myself," I reminded him.

"Oh, right. Warren- your date who only asked you out to make your night hell; Layla- who won't talk to you out of fear that it would reach me and our good friend The Perkigoth- who threatened to _kill me_," he shot me a look, "Yeah. You'd be among friends."

I didn't say anything. He was perfectly right.

Travis left the house first, but froze in the doorway.

"Oh what is it, now. Did you change your mind? Because I really don't care, you're- _WARREN?!_" I suddenly realised why Travis had frozen. Warren was standing on our front lawn with an amused expression on his face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked him.

"I thought I'd be a gentleman. Is that so terrible?" he deadpanned.

Travis shrugged and continued down the path.

"I'm driving."

--

"I have no idea what you two have planned for tonight," Travis smirked, "But I do not want to know."

Warren and I shot looks at each other. That did not come out like Travis had intended it to. He made it sound like me and Warren… Warren and I... ugh. Gross.

"I see you brought a change of clothes," Warren motioned toward the bag that I was clasping to my stomach.

"Well, I'm expecting tonight to get messy. I'd really rather not walk around covered in punch, or cake, or cheese," I shot him a sarcastic smile, "And don't worry. I coordinated colours."

"OCD," my brother coughed, obviously trying to make a joke. He shot me a look in the rear-view mirror, and I frowned.

"Gardez vos yeux sur la route, Carrefours," _(Keep your eyes on the road, Crossroads)_ I snapped.

"Lunette, we talked about speaking French when you're PMS-ing. Just calm down," Travis tried to hide his laughter, while I flushed red. It was completely untrue, of course. Travis just wanted to embarrass me. Warren just raised an eyebrow and turned to look at me. I didn't look back.

--

The party boat really was something. It was quite large, with balloons everywhere. The balloons were red, white and blue. They were the school colours, the colours of the American Flag (and French flag, I reminded myself) but they were also the colours that Will Stronghold wore every day to school.

I felt a knot in my chest. What a jerk.

As Travis, Warren and I walked through the crowd, I glanced over the deck of the boat for my first ammunition. I wouldn't attack Warren _now_, of course, but it was good to have my options open.

Besides, if worse comes to worse, we were surrounded by my element. He was going down.

In my thoughtless scurrying, I bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry," I said. Layla looked at me, and blanked for a moment, before shooting me a smile.

"Hi, Luna," she said, before turning to Warren and giving him the same greeting.

When her eyes rested on Travis, she raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"Hello, Layla," Travis said from behind me. Layla's brown eyes darkened, and she excused herself.

Warren and I exchanged another glance- only this one wasn't against each other, it was concern for our best friends- our siblings. I knew that Warren and Layla were best friends, but the way be protected her was more of a brotherly protection. I would know.

"You look great, by the way," Travis told me. I snapped out of a daze, and turned to him. He was trying to take the attention off his own personal drama.

"Thanks," I said sincerely.

--

The party was fantastic. You know, if you're into that sort of thing. Warren had yet to make the first move of attack, and the dance was almost at its halfway point. I had to act fast, before it started feeling like a date.

"Wanna dance?" I asked him.

"Sure," he looked at me. Something twinkled in his misty eyes. "Dance."

As we danced toward the edge of the boat, I was unaware of the fact that I was smiling.

"What are you so happy about?" Warren muttered under is breath.

"We're on a boat. The edge of a boat. It's the full moon," I whispered, my mouth near his ear, "Prepare to get your ass kicked."

Before Warren could even react to my words, I broke free from him and raised my hands above my head. Salt water rose from all around me, and gasps were heard from the students as the boat rocked.

"Wow," Warren seemed impressed, "You really weren't kidding." At this, his arms ignited.

My heart skipped a beat. Warren fighting back had not been expected. I was just going to dumb a crapload of water on his head and call it a night. _Well,_ I told myself, _This is more interesting, anyway._

I thrust my hands forward and the water came with them, hovering above us like a ceiling of liquid glass. Warren looked up, an amazed look on his face, before he frowned.

"That was your plan? Get me wet?" he almost laughed, "I'm a little disappointed."

I wracked my brain for about a millisecond before twitching my wrist. The water broke up into little droplets.

I moved my arms slowly, before shooting Warren a look.

"Thanks by the way, for this tip," I said in a faux sweet tone. Letting out a loose breath, I willed the droplets to freeze. Small, sharp shards of ice hung over his head and his head alone.

"You wouldn't kill me," he said in a self-confident tone.

"Duh. I'm sixteen- I'm not looking for a criminal record," I scoffed, "but it doesn't mean I can't cut you up a little bit."

With a delicate movement of my arms and feet the shards dropped.

As they did, neat little cuts went into Warren's clothing. As one sliced his cheek, I suppressed a little gasp. That wasn't part of the plan.

The icicles crashed to the floor, and the room (which, I remembered, was full of people) gasped in unison.

Warren didn't falter. Immediately, he shot two balls of fire at me. I barely missed the first, and blocked the second with a thin layer of water.

"Lunette, what the hell are you doing?" I heard Travis yell, but I ignored him and manipulated more water to snake around me. As I whipped the water at him, I could tell me wasn't expecting the water to feel so solid. It whipped him in the stomach, and he fell back into the food table. Crackers flew, and he panted lightly. I was wondering why no one was intervening, so I looked around. All the students were watching- like it was a show.

Warren snarled audibly and hoisted himself up, arms blazing. He began to charge at me, so I tried frantically to remember any Tai Chi at all. He was right in front of me before I could remember anything- so, I had to doge his flaming fist with surprise. He almost singed my mother's dress, and my heart skipped a beat.

We were standing roughly two metres away from each other, and I looked very defenceless. I had no water hovering around me, and my heart was beating rapidly at the thought of losing my dress and my dignity.

"That can't be it," Warren mocked. "Is it? If so, I am highly disappointed."

I twisted around, doing one 360 degree turn, waving the salt water back around me.

"Believe me," I said, "It's not over."

The water around me changed density, and I flung it at Warren's flaming hand. Steam arose from his arm as the water tried to control the flames. Exhaling slowly, I hade the water freeze.

"Shit, that's cold," he complained under his breath. He exhaled, too, and I saw small puffs of hot breath coming from his mouth. In fact, everyone was breathing steam. My water manipulation had caused the temperature on the boat to decrease a lot.

Suddenly, his arm burst into flames again, cracking and melting the ice.

The water dropped onto the deck of the boat, lifeless. Instead of manipulating it back into my control, my eyes darted to the punch bowl. I lifted the punch (which is around 70 per cent water) and shot it at Warren. He wasn't expecting it- I could tell from the look on his face.

A soft murmur of "ooohhh" arose from the students around him. Now Warren was wet, bleeding and sticky. And, clearly, not very happy. I twisted some more water off the deck, until I had one massive snake of water surrounding me. With a sticky flick of his long hair, Warren smirked.

And shot the biggest fucking fireball I'd ever seen. Right at me.

Instinctively, I shot all of my water at the fire. Instead of evaporating the water, or putting out the fire, the polar opposite elements did something completely unexpected.

They blew up. Right in our faces. I felt like I was flying, carefree, through the air. I knew then that I had gotten a blow to the head- because I am _never_ carefree. I heard Travis call out my name again, but I was too relaxed to care.

Until I hit the freezing cold water. Hard.

Slowly, I sunk into my element, letting the icy water surround me like a comforting hug. I felt at peace for what felt like hours- but I know it was only a few seconds. My eyes shot open, and I looked up at a flash of light – lightning, I think – through the water glaze above me. My lungs ached for air, and reflexively opened.

I could feel them filling with the salty water- my hydrokenisis was nowhere to be found. I wasn't even thinking about it.

The startling pain that hit my chest was the last thing I felt before everything went black.

_**No, I am not going to leave you with that cliffy. In case you're wondering why water and fire created an explosion- don't ask me.**_

_**Logic has no place, here.**_

In my dream, I saw Dad. My father is around forty nine. He has the same hair as Travis- long, and I'm sure it used to be brown. Now it's more like salt and pepper- dark hair with white strands. He ties it back to keep it away from his face, which has a square jaw and un-shaven whiskers.

He was looking down at me, frowning with concern, before splitting into two.

Then, my two Dad's began arguing.

"This is _all your fault_!" the first Dad said.

"How is it _my_ fault? She brought it upon herself!" the second replied. The voice wasn't my father's. That I was sure of.

Then, all of a sudden, a third Dad appeared, hands resting on a jutted out hip.

"If you guys don't stop arguing, we're never going to get out of this mess," a feminine voice said from my Dad's chapped lips.

My eyes shot open, and the three Dad's changed into Warren, Layla and Travis- who all stood over me, surprised that I was awake.

"Thank god," Travis was the first to react. He knelt down and embraced me tightly. He was wet and smelt of sea water.

"You dove in after me, didn't you?" I asked. My voice was raw from the salt water that had forced its way down my throat, and my chest hurt when I spoke.

"Yeah, kind of," he smiled that heart-warming smile of his, so I smiled back.

I sat up, and almost choked on my own surprise.

We were on a beach. The sun was baking down on them, and I was under a tree.

"Where the hell are we?" I asked, my voice a high pitch from worry.

"You tell me, genius. You're the reason we're here," Warren growled. He was wet, as well. And so was Layla.

"The explosion," I said, as if it clarified everything.

"You were both flung into the water," Layla said, "and Travis and I jumped in after you, with a raft. It wasn't blown up, so we grabbed you guys and floated for a bit before inflating it. There was a storm- which is weird, because it was perfect weather before you guys started attacking each other – so we rode in the boat. Warren woke up fast, but you were asleep all night."

"But where are we?" I asked. I stood up unsteadily, and turned around. Behind us was a sparse forest, "Are… are we _shipwrecked_?"

"Technically, you need to have had a ship to be _ship_wrecked. But, basically," Travis shrugged. He tossed me a bag- my bag- filled with my extra clothes, "These won't come in handy. Unless you have survival tools."

"But how will we be rescued?" I shrieked.

"There'll be a search party. If Will is part of it, we'll be found in no time. Days, at most," Layla told me, as if it were meant to sound comforting.

"Besides," Travis said, "we control the elements. What can go wrong? Layla already grew us some mangos. Warren has collected wood for a fire- which he will light tonight. I'm going to make us some huts from stone and you can, I dunno, make food and wash the punch out of Warren's clothes with your hydrokenisis."

"So, you guys get to do all the useful stuff, and I'm the maid?" I asked sceptically. The only answer I got was someone's shirt flung into my face. It smelled like raspberry punch.

"Tumble dry, please," I heard his voice deadpan.

This is _not_ happening.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Beneath the star-scape**_

_**Falling on our heads.**_

_**But they're just old light.**_

_**They're just old light.**_

_**-Regina Spektor**_

I sat on the sand, glaring at the pot before me. Travis had manipulated some stone to act like a giant washing pot to get the salt water out of our clothes. I had pulled some fresh water from the forest behind us, and our clothes were stewing in it.

For some reason, all four of us were really comfortable around each other. Which was hard, seeing as we were all wearing nothing but our underwear.

I was doing waving motions with my hand, which stirred the water in the pot.

"So, whatcha doing?" Layla came and sat next to me.

"Washing clothes," I said in monotone.

The day had progressed into a steaming afternoon, so we were all sitting in the shade.

"You want a mango?" Layla asked, handing me one without waiting for an answer. I bit off a bit of the skin and began peeling it off to eat, as Layla sighed.

"What's up?" I asked her, wanting to know what her sigh indicated.

"Nothing- it's just this situation is so…" she failed to find a word.

"Awkward?"

"Yeah."

"Well, considering that I'm stirring our clothes like they're soup, and we're all strutting around in nothing but our underwear, it's to be expected," I told her.

There was no sound for about a minute, other than the light sloshing of the clothes in the pot and the waves gently caressing the sand. I got up and reached into the pot, pulling out the wet clothes.

I hung them on a tree, where they dripped heavily before I drew the water out of them.

"Clothes are ready," I called out. Everyone came and grabbed their clothes, and put them on in silence. I left Mom's dress hanging there, and changed into my spare clothes instead. I didn't want to wear something of hers.

As the sun began to set, Warren lit a fire and we all sat around it.

"Am I the only one who thinks that this sucks?" I asked rudely, looking around the fire. Warren was leaning back, warming his feet by the flames. Layla was sitting cross legged, sipping hot lemon water from a stone cup. Travis was beside her, fiddling with the sand.

"Yeah, you are," said Travis, running sand through his fingers, "I think it pretty much rocks. We're here, all by ourselves, in a little tropical paradise."

"We're going to be eating nothing but fruit and vegetables for days," Warren groaned.

"Luna can catch fish. She's pretty good at it," Travis said.

"Fish isn't meat," Warren complained.

"Oh, bitch-bitch-bitch," I said loudly, "Is that all you ever do? Travis and Layla like it here. I only _dislike_ it because I'm away from home. We're all lucky to be alive, and you're complaining about not being able to control your cannibalistic urges?!"

I held my hands out toward the fire, and we sat in silence for a little while longer.

Later that night, Warren, Layla, Travis and I spread ourselves out on the beach for sleeping. I lay down with Layla and Travis on either side of me.

I was freezing cold. I wrapped my jumper around me tightly, trying to ignore the cold winds coming off the ocean.

None of us said anything. Travis wrapped an arm around me, which made me feel warmer, and with his other arm he manipulated a stone wall behind us to protect us from the ocean wind. He would never let me down. We all just stared up into the sky. There were a lot of stars. Most people would admire them for their beauty- but they only reminded me of how far away from home I was. _There are no stars in Maxville._

Before I knew to stop myself, my eyelids closed heavily and I was asleep.

I awoke to the sound of talking. Travis was no longer lying next to me, but I could hear Layla breathing softly on my other side. As I opened my eyes, I saw the sky pinking with sunrise. Travis and Warren were speaking softly.

"Why are you two up so early?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. My curly hair had sand in it, which stood out against its chocolate colour. The curls frizzed around my head and half my face was covered with sand. This is why I wasn't surprised that Travis snickered at me.

"Warren is an early riser, and I'm a light sleeper," he answered, "they kind of go hand in hand."

I groaned and fell back into the sand, my arms spread out almost far enough to touch Layla.

"Another day in hell," I groaned, "I need a bath."

With this, I got up and tugged Travis.

"You wanna do me a huge favour?" I asked him. He nodded and followed me into the woods. Warren looked on after us with curiosity, but didn't follow.

While we were in the woods, we found a suitable place. It was nice and flat and there were trees everywhere.

"Make me a bath tub," I begged and ordered at the same time. Travis sighed and with a few sharp motions of his arms and legs, a large crater filled the open space.

He watched as I sucked a lot of water from a few trees nearby, and filled the water to its brim. Clenching my fist, the water heated up quickly.

I sighed with contentment. This was perfect.

Steam arose from the bathtub and I smiled. "Thanks, Travis. You rock," I giggled, "no pun intended."

He simply sighed at my lameness and walked away. As soon as I looked around and was sure that no one could see me, I got undressed and hung my clothes on the tree nearby, before submerging myself in the boiling water. When I resurfaced, my hair was wet and sticking to my face and neck. The water came to my shoulder blades, and my body was flushed from the heat.

It soothed my aching muscles, and the steam rose into my parched throat (which was still sore from drowning) and eased the pain.

_Did I drown?_ I wondered, closing my eyes. I knew I had sunken fast. I had felt my lungs fill with water. Did they drag me out? Did they give me mouth-to-mouth? _Who_ gave me mouth-to-mouth?

I had just decided to ask Travis later, when I heard rustling in the trees. My eyes shot open, and Warren was standing there, looking completely and utterly shocked.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked him sourly. I was sure he couldn't see me. I mean, _naked_ me. The water was so hot and misty that I would barely see _myself_.

"I didn't know anyone was back here. I'm sorry," he said quickly, before turning around.

"Wait," I stopped him. He paused and turned to face me again.

"Can you see anything?" I asked him, preparing to drench him in boiling water if he said yes.

"No, actually. I'm not _that_ terrible a person," he snarled.

"You mean like your father," I blurted out. My heart thrummed in my chest. Crap. Crap. Why did I say that? I could feel Warren's eyes burning into me. Luckily only on my face, but it still burned.

"My father was a terrible person," he said as calmly as he could, "But I'm not like him."

I snorted with laughter, and then regretted it immediately.

"What's so funny?" he asked, his voice hard. I blushed crimson – something that I should've done when I realised Warren had walked in on me taking a bath – and narrowed my eyes at him.

"You're just such a cliché. Angry Fire Guy, trying to Be Anything But His Father. He was once the Hero's Enemy, but ends up being his Best Friend," I shot him a look, "Your story is practically a classic."

"Oh, what? And yours isn't?" he asked sceptically.

"What about my life is so cliché?" I asked him.

"You're the Stubborn Water Girl," he shrugged.

"Since when is that a cliché?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sure if I learned more about you, I'd be able to identify something cliché," he gave me a weird smile, "It's only a matter of time."

I frowned for a moment, before wiping some wet hair from my face.

"What time is it?" I asked him. He looked at his watch and told me it was nine. I groaned.

"Is that a problem?" he asked.

"That means I've been in here for hours. I should probably get out," I told him. I looked at him for a second, before he got the hint to leave.

"Ah, right," he said, turning around. I sat still in the water for a few minutes, to make sure he wasn't going to come back any time soon, before I got out and changed back into my clothes.

"Enjoy your bath?" Layla asked me as I got back to camp.

"It was fine until Warren walked in on me," I shot a glare at the pyro, who scoffed in reply.

"He _what_?" Travis also shot him a glare.

"It's okay, Travis. He didn't see anything," I soothed. Layla handed me a fresh grapefruit to eat for breakfast.

"You know," Warren said, "if we're going to back fish for lunch, you better catch some _now_."

Right. There was all the technical stuff that they don't show you at the Fish Market. De-scaling, gutting, head-chopping. I wouldn't be doing any of it, of course, but Warren was right.

I sighed heavily and placed my grapefruit on the sand.

"Be right back."

As I reached the shoreline, I kneeled and placed my hand delicately on the surface of the almost-still water. My eyes closed and I began to feel the ocean.

I could feel sand ridges, and seaweed. I felt like I was the ocean, gently caressing my depths.

"What are you doing?" a voice interrupted my meditation.

I sighed, frustrated, "I'm looking for fish. Now beat it, Warren."

He didn't go, but he didn't say anything for a while. I began my meditation again, and felt faster this time. Eventually, I reached a school of fish. I had no idea what kind of fish they were, but they didn't look bad or anything.

I pinched the air with my fingers and watched as the fish realised it was prey. Soon, it was struggling against a current much stronger than it, until it wound up right in front of me, gasping for water.

"Wow," Warren finally spoke. The fish died at my knees and I lifted it up. It was a good size. It would feed all four of us.

"Have fun," I tossed the fish at Warren and returned to my grapefruit.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry, I've been spending way too much time on my Zutara ficlet The Air Temple, which you can find inside Avatar Drabbles

_**Sorry, I've been spending way too much time on my Zutara ficlet **__The Air Temple__**, which you can find inside **__Avatar Drabbles__**. Oh, and on a new **__Twilight_ _**fanfic. Don't ask. Anyway, I just got a radcore idea for **__Little Moon__**. So hold on to your hats.**_

_**X**_

_**Alice**_

_**P.S. I would love to thank all you of reviewers. **_

_Marshmalu__**- who I know read my other stories, as well. (I suggest you all do the same, even though Little Moon is my favourite for some reason).**_

_Mandya1313_

_Sky-Pirate325_

_SilverMoon Gypsy_

_three2raise_

_**and**_

_Black.Purple.Roses- __**even though they haven't reviewed since chapter three (hint).**_

_**You guys all rock. 3**_

_**((--))**_

_**Touch of her skin**_

_**Feeling silky smooth.**_

_**The colour of Café Au Lait.**_

_**- Christina Aguilera **_

Travis was sitting by himself, his hands running through the white sand that lined the beach we were stranded on. He had a spaced out look on his face, so I frowned thoughtfully and went to sit beside him.

"What are you doing?" I asked softly. He smiled a little bit before replying.

"Do you think I can manipulate sand?"

I shrugged. "Maybe." There was no reason why he wouldn't be able to.

"I'll tell you why I can't," he began, as if reading my mind. "The sand on a beach is made up of crushed shells and fossils." He ran his hand through the sand to illustrate his point. "No earth. I can only manipulate the earth underneath it."

I smiled a bit and sighed. "Well, when we get off this hell hole, I'll take you to the desert. Maybe you can manipulate _that_ sand."

"Maybe," he gave me a half-hearted smile.

I leant back, my newly tanned skin clashing against the silky whiteness of the sand.

"What's this really about?"

"We haven't talked about it."

I nodded with understanding. Layla. "Why not?"

"Just hasn't come up."

"So bring it up."

"Maybe," he said. I was beginning to think that this conversation had too many _Maybe_'s in it and not nearly enough _Definitely'_s.

"No, Travis. Not _maybe_. Just go up to her and talk to her about it," I said forcefully.

"Really, Lunette, think about it- what is there to talk about?"

"She's waiting here for _Will_ to rescue her, Travis. Doesn't that make you even a little bit mad?"

"Of course it does."

"Then do something about it!" I said the last thing a little too loud, and I turned to see Warren and Layla (who were quite far away from us) staring at us intently.

"I'll do something about Layla, when you tell me something."

_What? What could I possibly tell him?_

"Yeah, what is it?"

"What's really going on between you and Warren?"

I was surprised that my face didn't flush. But the tremor in my voice probably gave away the truth.

"Nothing."

"Yeah, yeah. A _Leather clad pain in the ass_, right?" he quoted me. My own brother, using quotes against me! How rude.

"So what if we went to the Semi-Formal Formal together and he walked in on me while I was bathing?" I asked, "I still hate him."

"What if I told you that he was the one who resuscitated you?"

"_WHAT!?_" I screamed. What? No. No way! I didn't care if Layla and Warren could hear me. I was mad. I was screaming! I was completely furious!

But it subsided.

"He saved your life."

There was a silence, and all you could hear was the soft chattering of nearby birds and Layla and Warren soft words. The waves crashed lightly on the sand close to us.

"It doesn't change how I feel about him," I said determinedly.

"Yeah. Sure it doesn't. I bet you still hate his guts."

"I never said I hated him. Hate is a very strong word."

"Rewind to five second ago," Travis cleared his throat and did an eerily accurate impersonation of me, "'I still hate him.'"

I flinched. "Okay, so maybe it changes how I feel. I no longer hate him."

"Then what do you feel?" Travis raised an eyebrow.

"I… I _nothing_ him."

"What?"

"I nothing him," I repeated. Travis gave me a sceptical look before breaking eye contact.

"Whatever you say."

--

"Warren?"

Warren's head shot up at the sound of my voice, but his expression stayed the same. The emotionless prick.

"I need to talk to you," I told him. He was busy arranging the wood into a manageable pile that would be suitable for the fire, so he turned his back to me and didn't stop.

"So talk."

I knew this wasn't going to be easy. Sigh.

"Why did you save my life?" I asked. I saw him stiffen a little bit, as if he hadn't been expecting that question.

"Well, I wasn't going to let you die," he answered, through what sounded like clenched teeth. Sure. Right. Why didn't I think of that? He's not some homicidal psychopath. He wouldn't have just sat around and watched me die. Totally.

"Well," I let out a sigh, "Thanks."

He gave me this confused look that made me _very_ frustrated.

"For saving my life?" I confirmed. He nodded in understanding, and turned back to the wood.

"Uh… you're welcome?"

Why did everything we say to each other end with a question mark? I frowned. I walked up closer to him and plonked myself down at the sand by his feet. He looked down at me, eyebrow raised. I simply stared up at him, and positioned my legs in the lotus position.

"Do you hate me?" I asked.

Another question he hadn't been expecting. Go figure.

"No."

"Good, because I don't hate you," I told him.

"Good," he said back, before returning to his logs. This was too awkward, and the conversation was revolving around us regurgitating other people's words.

"I have another question," I said, which caused him to groan. But instead of telling me off, or sending me away, he simply accepted it.

"What is it?"

"Why do we fight all the time?" I asked, looking up at him. His grey eyes narrowed slightly, before he sighed and sat down beside me on the sand.

"I mean," I continued, "we don't _hate_ each other. So why do we fight?"

"Because," he answered, "we're two very angry people, and if we didn't take it out on each other, we'd probably explode." I smirked a little, before frowning.

"I don't like being angry all the time," I said. As soon as the words escaped my lips, I realised how dumb I sounded. But Warren didn't seem to mind.

"No one does," he replied.

We sat in silence for a moment, before I took in a breath.

"Well, the point is, thanks for saving my life and all," I got up and dusted off my legs and hips.

"Maybe one day, you'll return the favour," Warren smirked.

"Don't count on it, Peace," I smirked back, and went to walk off.

I didn't get why I felt so at peace with myself. Had I turned a corner? It felt like it, but nothing totally life changing had happened. It was all majorly confusing.

Nothing really interesting happened until three days, four fishing trips and two uncomfortable nights later. Warren and I were playing around with some water. I was freezing it and he was melting it. It wasn't much, but it was passing the time. Anyway, we both heard very loud yelling.

"What is your problem?!" I heard Layla yell. Warren and I exchanged glances, because there hadn't been any yelling since he and I had our 'little talk', and Layla and Travis weren't even talking to each other- let alone yelling.

"My problem is that you refuse to acknowledge that there's a problem!" Travis yelled back. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, and I heard Warren groan in frustration.

We both turned and faced the general direction that the yelling was coming from, but we couldn't see anything. They were in the woods, beyond our view. Wow, and we could still hear them. Go figure.

"What could they be fighting about?" Warren asked me. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You really have no idea?" I asked. His eyes narrowed at me in confusion, and a sudden brick wall of surprise hit me. This was weird. Hadn't Layla told him?

"Well?" he beckoned.

"They kissed at Will's party, and Will saw them and now she's not talking to him. Travis, not Will," I said. Warren raised an eyebrow and gave me a 'What?' expression.

"Sigh," I said dramatically, "Just watch." And, of course, Layla and Travis came bursting out of the forest in an explosion of leaves and colourful language.

I stood up on the shore, tripping a little bit on my red skirt (which had torn slightly at the hem) and whipped the water onto the two bickering elementals. Immediately, they both stopped talking.

"Lunette, what the fuck was that?!" Travis yelled.

"Listen, both of you," I said, my voice loud and strident, "Either you guys are going to sit down and talk about this like _responsible human beings_, or I dump water on you every time you even think about yelling. Got it?"

Layla huffed quietly for a second and Travis gaped at me before turning his emerald eyes onto Layla.

"The first option?" he asked her.

"Whatever," she flipped her wet hair out of her face, in a surprisingly elegant way, before she and Travis headed out of earshot. I nodded in approval and sat back down on the shore with Warren again.

"Wow, anything else happen and Will's party I should know about?" Warren laughed darkly, asking what I knew was a completely rhetorical question, but I answered anyway.

"You were _there_, weren't you? I met Magenta- she's a very angry person, you know. I talked to Christy- who was so hammered it was ridiculous, and all she would talk about was you. Oh, and as we left some random guy kissed me, which was nine different kinds of strange," I said. All in one breath, might I add. Only, this time, I didn't get the same emotionless expression Warren Peace had given me the last time I mentioned it.

This time, he kissed me.

It was quick, and soft and a little bit disorientating. But he did it. There was a pause as we separated, he had his eyebrows raised at me and I was frowning.

"What'd you do _that_ for?" I asked him, trying to not throw sand at him or chuck water in his face. Surprisingly, it took little restraint.

"Testing you," he answered, cocking his head to the side.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, feeling heat rise into my cheeks. A delayed reaction, I'll admit. I was glad my newly tanned skin would cover it up. I was genuinely confused, which I think was partly the kiss' fault.

He just stared at me for a good five seconds until it hit me. An expression of shock covered my face. Shock and a little bit of anger, I guess. This time, I didn't bother restraining myself.

"It was _**you**_!" I shrieked, waving my hand in a way that caused a decent-sized wall of water to slam into Warren. Somehow, as he lay on the sand, spluttering, he managed to give me a 'Duh' expression. I scrambled up.

"You… I… it… UGH!" I said, stomping of into the direction that Travis and Layla went in.

But they weren't there.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry for the long wait for an update. I've been dead, recently. Luckily, I've come back to life in a blaze of mediocrity. ^_^ Sorry for the short chapter. The next one will be longer.

Enjoy.

-------

In the night I hear them talk,

The coldest story ever told.

Somewhere far along this road,

He lost his soul

To a woman so heartless.

-Kanye West

I frowned, and started to head off into the bushes.

"Layla!? Travis!" I called to them, but I didn't hear any response. This was when I started freaking out. They had been there a second ago. I was sure of it.

I had, after all, told them to stay within my sight. I stood in a small clearing, my heart pounding in my ears.

I didn't know if it was worry, or fear or whether my face was still flushed from the kiss.

Don't think about that now, I told myself.

I was silent. All I could hear was my pulse, the wash of distant waves and the rustle of leaves in the wind. Until I heard a gasp.

It wasn't shocked or dangerous. Just… a gasp. But I didn't care. When I heard it, I whipped the moisture from a tree behind me and slashed it in the direction of the voice.

The tree in front of me fell, a perfect slice through it. And behind that slice was a head of red hair.

Oh.

Travis gave me a pointed look, detaching from Layla for two seconds.

"Lunette. Do you mind?" he asked.

If possible, my face flushed even deeper. I was so embarrassed.

"Why are you guys here?" I whispered. "I told you to stay in my sight!"

Layla bit her lip – her face was red with embarrassment, too – and said, "Will's here."

It took a moment for me to register what she said. I heard the sounds but the words didn't make any sense.

"Will? Will Stronghold?" I asked. A grin crept up onto my face.

"Yep."

"This means we can leave! This means we can go home! This is what we have been waiting for! This…" I looked at Travis' face, "… is why you're in the bushes."

"He was right on top of us. If he saw me and Layla making ou-" I cut my brother off.

"He would totally kill you. I get it. But he doesn't have to know, right? Not until I'm home, in bed, surrounded by stuffed animals and real food."

Layla sighed and nodded, so I grabbed both their hands and ran off to the beach.

Warren was still on the beach, only not in the waves. Surprisingly (though, not unfortunately) he was only in his boxers. I was about to yell at him and tell him to put a shirt on when I remembered that I had soaked him with water only moments ago.

Figures.

"Guess what?" I asked him. He raised an eyebrow and hung up his shirt on a branch.

"Will's here!" I quickly drew the water out of his shirt.

"No kidding. Where?" he hung up his jeans.

"He was along the south side of the Island. We just missed him. He'll be here soon," Layla said, as I drew the water out of Warren's jeans.

Warren made a 'huh' sound as he pulled on his clothes. Stupid Warren, with his stupid perfectly muscled torso, and stupid long hair. I would tell him to cut it, later. Then maybe he wouldn't be so attractive.

The next few minutes were quiet. I think it's because we realised that the paradise was over. We were extinguishing the fire and taking down the huts and packing all the clothes. And we then mad our way to the south beach in silence.

It wasn't long before we saw a silhouette of a boy on the coastline.

"Stronghold," I heard Travis mutter under his breath. He and Layla let go of each other's hands as Will approached.

"Oh my gosh! Guys! We've been looking everywhere for you! Is everyone okay!?" he said as he hugged Warren and Layla tightly. The pair exchanged awkward glances.

"We're all fine," I said, placing my hands on my hips.

Arrangements were then made for our airlift rescue.

"Just carry us," I groaned. "You're meant to be super strong, right?"

"La seule chose superbe au sujet de lui est sa capacité de m'ennuyer…," (The only thing Super about him is his ability to annoy me…) Travis said loudly enough for everyone to hear. Luckily, I was the only one who understood him. I stepped on his toe nonetheless.

"Tais-toi. Il essaye d'aider," (Shut up. He's trying to help.)

"I guess I could airlift all of you up…" Will considered. And with that, he hovered in the air, and turned horizontally. "Climb aboard!"

I raised a eyebrow, but everyone else was simply getting on his back.

"Merde…" I muttered, before climbing on to his lower back. "Up and freaking away…"


End file.
